The highs and lows of music in 2023

 

If we were to give the music world of 2023 a subtitle, what would it be?

Let's think about it. Taylor Swift-mania crescendoed to an all-time high. A generation of people got to experience the release of a new Beatles song. Ill-mannered concertgoers developed a weird habit of throwing objects at artists performing on stage. Indie sensation Mitski's viral hit "My Love Mine All Mine" transcended TikTok and deservedly landed on former US President Barack Obama's favorite music of 2023 list. Elsewhere, some performances went awry while others broke attendance and viewership records, a country music icon went rock as the genre experienced an identity crisis of its own and Britney Spears told all.

In all of that might be our answer. Music in 2023: What a wild time!

Take a journey with us as we review the highs and lows of the year, and every note in between:

HIGH: Taylor-mania
To put it delicately, Taylor Swift was literally everywhere this year. The “Anti-Hero” singer’s record-breaking “Eras Tour” started in March and is on track to become the highest-earning tour in history according to some estimates. Along the way, she’s been credited for boosting the economy, public transportation and the movie theater industry when her “Eras Tour” concert film smashed the box office in October. She broke numerous streaming and attendance records, was named Time's "Person of the Year," released two re-recorded albums and even began a new romance with "guy on the Chiefs" Travis Kelce – all while ushering in an era of friendship and girl power. Let’s not forget that she gave her tour's trucking staff a $100,000 bonus each, and then became a billionaire. Now that’s some good “Karma.”

HIGH: The return of the mega-tour
When it comes to mega-tours, Beyoncé has mastered the craft. With a little help from her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, the “Break My Soul” singer launched her record-breaking “Renaissance” world tour in May. Swift, Harry Styles, Drake, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Pink, among others, also hit the road on major stadium tours this year, marking a turn in the live music space as the world readjusted to a post-pandemic landscape. Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, reported in May that the company sold nearly 90 million tickets for concerts at that point – a more than 20% increase over the same point in 2022. Whether people chose to attend a stadium-sized mega-tour or see an indie band at a smaller venue, music-lovers far and wide showed that live music is back in full swing.